Apple Pie Protein Oatmeal

Breakfast on the go that tastes like apple pie without all the calories and heaviness. Eat this in between your work meetings during a busy day to keep your brain juices flowing. Make sure the dog doesn’t get to it first.

Caramelized apples:

• 3 lbs honey crisp apples peeled and chopped thin

• 2 tbsp butter 

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp cloves 

• 1/4 tsp allspice

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1 tbsp honey 

• 2 tbsp Maple syrup

• A fuck ton of brown sugar (1/2 cup)

Oatmeal bake

• 1.5 cup Oatmeal

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 cups almond milk

• 1 egg

• 1/2 tsp salt 

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp Maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

• 2 heaping scoops of protein powder. I used Inno Supps buttery pancake flavor (it's vegan)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. On medium-high heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter. Cook down your apples until they are soft (15-20 minutes)

3. Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl

4. Top with cinnamon sugar

5. Spray with olive oil!!!! 9x9 baking sheet and bake for 42 minutes

Southwest Quinoa Egg Cups

For the past 6 months, I have been working as a prep cook at a country club. Learning new knife skills in a fast-paced environment keeps me on my toes. It helps me improve my cooking speed and technique to be more of a professional chef. Honestly, since starting to cook for someone else, I lost a lot of my inspiration to cook for myself. I go out to eat more and it is greatly affecting my gut health. I am now taking responsibility for my health because the food you eat really does affect your mood. In order to ease my mind from negative thought patterns, eating at home keeps my cravings for carbs or sugar at bay. I notice that when I eat sugar, I feel bloated and my mind begins racing with beliefs of “not good enough”. The less I eat sugar, the more energy I have to work towards my life goals. While at work, I was asked to make pico de gallo. I prepared some quinoa a few days prior and had some leftovers. I wasn’t sure how I was going to use it but didn’t want to throw it away. I never went grocery shopping and had some eggs in the fridge. A lightning bolt idea came through me, which this recipe became a reality. I love that I can eat something quick that’s easy to take with you anywhere. As a bonus, this meal provides leftovers, is easy to freeze, and keeps you full for hours. For someone 5’2, ~120 lbs, and is very active, 2 of these egg cups hits the sweet spot. Enjoy my delicious recipe below:

Ingredients:

For the Egg Cups

** Makes 1 dozen Egg Cups

• 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa

• 5 eggs, lightly beaten

• ½ cup almond milk, unsweetened

• 1 cup homemade Pico de Gallo ** see recipe below or buy from the store

• 2 tbsp southwest seasoning

• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the homemade Pico de Gallo

• 4 vine ripened tomatoes, diced small

• ¼ red onion, diced small

• ½ lime, juice

• ½ jalapeno, seeded and diced small

• ½ bunch cilantro, chopped

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1.       Cook the quinoa ahead of time to make the preparation time shorter. Start by boiling 1 cup of dry quinoa on medium heat with 2 cups of water. Make sure to rinse the quinoa before boiling to remove the natural coating saponin, leaving the bitter, soapy taste behind.

2.       Once the water comes to a boil, cover for 15-20 minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Be careful not to overcook or the quinoa will burn at the bottom. This will make cleaning the pot a pain in the rear. :(

3.       When the water evaporated, stir the quinoa with a fork to fluff it up. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to cool.

4.       While the quinoa is cooling, cut and mix all ingredients for pico de gallo in a separate bowl.

** If you decided to opt out of the homemade option, you can skip this step.

5.       Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, F.

6.       Combine ingredients for the egg cups in a second bowl. I have provided an image of the southwest seasoning for reference.

7.       Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Scoop until basically full because they don’t really rise at all.

8.       Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are brown and bubbly.

9.       Carefully carve out with a knife and serve steamy hot.

For busy families wanting more on-the-go recipes like this one, contact me to set up a 60 minute meal-planning consultation.

The Best Homemade Granola Ever!

Are you someone who is always in a hurry to get out the door in the morning?

raises hand 🖐

Growing up, I was rushing for the school bus in the morning on a regular basis. My bag would be packed the night before, as I get up at the ass crack of dawn. I quickly brush my hair, brush my teeth, throw my clothes on, grab my shit downstairs, and rush out the front door.

The issue here is that I was either not eating breakfast or I would eat a bag of dry cereal. Even worse, a pop tart. By afternoon, I was crashing and was unable to pay attention in class during the last two periods of the day.

Knowing what I do now, I have the tools to combat afternoon fatigue and create snacks to give me energy while I’m on the go. When I had the idea to cook this granola, the above was in mind. I found a recipe online and tweaked it for my health modifications. It’s gluten-free, egg-free, and packed full of nutrients.

Use this to eat by itself, with almond milk in cereal, or spice it up to eat with fruit. I also enjoy topping it on muffins that I create to amp up my breakfast game.

I shared these with my friends and it is a raving hit among the crowd. This will please even the pickiest of eaters because the universal flavor of cinnamon brings it all together. I decided to share my recipe with the public in order for everyone to be able to recreate this for themselves in their own home.

Find my recipe below:

Inspired by: https://www.thehealthymaven.com/2015/04/honey-nut-steel-cut-granola.html

Ingredients:

• 3 cups steel-cut oats (gluten-free if necessary)

• 2 cups of mixed nuts and seeds (I did walnuts, pecans, almonds, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds, but you can use whatever combination you want!)

• 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

• 1/2 cup apple butter or sweet potato butter

• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (local raw honey is ideal)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2) In a large bowl combine steel-cut oats, nuts, cinnamon and sea salt.

3) In a separate bowl combine coconut oil, applesauce, honey and vanilla.

4) Stir wet ingredients into dry and mix until combined.

5) Spread granola over a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

6) Remove from oven and flip and the bake for another 20 mins.

7) Remove from oven once again, flip and then bake for another 15 mins.

8) Remove from oven and flatten granola with the back of a spatula.

9) LET SIT FOR ONE HOUR. Do not try to move granola off tray.

10) After an hour, you can take the granola and break it up into clusters. Enjoy!

Note: Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (if it lasts that long!)

Protein Power Energy Bites

Do you wake up in the morning with little time to spare? 

You're super hungry, but don't want to go out to eat.

What can possibly be done in under 10 minutes with enough time to eat and make it out the door?

We've all had those mornings before.

While it might not be your typical routine, we end up running half our day with nothing in our systems but caffeine while feeling hangry.

After having enough of those days, I discovered this idea that's much better than having a granola bar from the store.

You get to have a breakfast without all of the additives that gives you the energy you need to power through your morning.

Feel energized with my delicious protein power energy bites!

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup almond flour

• 1 Packet chocolate flavored protein powder of choice (I used Orenda Shape)

• 2 Tbsp. cacao powder (plus more for rolling)

• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup

• 1/4 cup nut butter of choice (I used almond butter)

• 1/2 Tsp sea salt

• 4 tbsp coffee (or sub almond milk) 

Directions:

1) Add wet ingredients to a mixing bowl (nut butter, cacao powder, coffee) and mix together

2) Add remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until everything is mixed through. If it's still a bit dry, add some almond milk and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated together.

3) Roll into tablespoon sized bites, roll in cacao powder, and set aside in a container. **Note: You can make these as big or as small as you want.

4) Chill until ready to enjoy! Will last a week or two in a container (if they last that long)

PS: Check out my cooking demo on my Youtube channel where I make these live in front of an audience!

Almond Flour Pancakes

It was a wonderful weekend of seeing my friend in the city with lots of warm weather.  We went to the farmer’s market and I was craving some of the delicious fruit from the stands after eating a savory crepe. I’ve wanted to make pancakes for a while since my boyfriend and I have been going out to eat at the local pancake house for the past few Sundays in a row. Since I bought apples and peaches, I thought why not make the pancakes and caramelize those on top? My taste buds were longing for some of that delicious, fall feeling of warm, cinnamon, sugary glazed goodness. While I am at it, I figure this would be great to have for my trip to Bass Center. Who wouldn’t want to bring healthy food on a vacation? It was a no brainer. I had to make these. And oh boy, they were exactly everything I was hoping for. Did I tell you that they are gluten and dairy free? Now you can have your breakfast treat without the guilt! With that being said, I’m absolutely delighted to share with you my recipe for almond flour pancakes with caramelized apples and peaches!

Ingredients:

For the Pancakes:

Credits to: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/05/fluffy-little-almond-flour-pancakes/

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 3 large pastured eggs, room temperature

• 1/4 cup almond milk

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

• 1 Tbsp. honey (or maple syrup)

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1-2 tsp cinnamon (I love cinnamon, so I tend to add a lot)

For the Caramelized Apples and Peaches

• 2 apples and 2 peaches, cored and cubed (can use berries as well)

• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (or honey)

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

• 2 Tbsp. brown or turbinado sugar

• 1-2 tsp cinnamon (I love cinnamon, so I tend to add a lot)

Directions:

1. Preheat griddle over medium heat.

2. Place all of the liquid ingredients into your blender, then place all of the dry ingredients on top. Cover and blend on low to start, then increase to high and blend at least 1 full minute.

3. Please note: The batter will be very thick like a thick cake batter. If it is too thick for your liking, a simple option to correct the consistency is to simply add an additional tablespoon of almond milk to the batter one tablespoon at a time, blending thoroughly before adding another tablespoon, until the desired consistency of batter is reached. Adding extra milk may make the pancakes a bit thinner (depending upon how much extra milk is added), but it should not dramatically impact the flavor.

4. Chop all of your fruit

5. Grease a preheated griddle for the pancakes and a preheated pan for the fruit each with 1 Tbsp. butter.

6. Ladle a ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle to form a pancake

7. Cook for a few minutes, until pancakes begin to dry out at edges and the bottoms are a golden brown. It’s important to keep a careful eye on them as almond flour pancakes burn easily. (I like to take a little peek under one of the pancakes to check, before flipping.)

8. Carefully flip and cook another few minutes until done, but not over-browned.

9. Serve hot off the griddle with cultured butter, pure maple syrup and a medley of fresh berries.